Chapter 58 What's wrong, Danieru?
Danieru drove recklessly, constantly thinking about his own feelings. Did he love Camilla? Or... was this love just a passing thought. He also thought about Rachel, remembering the pain that beautiful woman had caused him.
'I'm sorry, Danieru. I love Hatsu, and I don't want to lose this chance to be with her.'
Danieru braked, the car came to a stop, and he gasped. His memory flashed back to when Rachel had decided to accept the engagement to Hatsu, and her words to him had been incredibly painful. To this day, the devastation lingered, and all the pieces of his heart couldn't be properly put together.
He had tried to build a wall to replace the palace of love Rachel had destroyed, but it still couldn't hide everything.
Danieru looked around, cold sweat slowly trickling down his skin. Damn... he shouldn't have lost control. But... oh, it still hurt.
Luckily, the road Danieru was on was relatively empty, which saved him from his own accident.
He grabbed his phone, took a deep breath, and quickly searched for Rachel's contact information. When he found it, he trembled. What should he do? Should he confirm everything right now?
Danieru immediately called Rachel, feeling nervous as the call connected. He waited for a few seconds, but there was still no response from Rachel.
He closed his eyes. Was this the right thing to do? He couldn't think straight; his brain was paralyzed and his stupidity was beginning to take over.
"What's wrong, Danieru?"
The voice brought Danieru out of his trance, and he bit his lip rather hard.
“Danieru... are you okay?”
Danieru felt a little happy when he heard Rachel's question, but when he remembered what she had said earlier, he became confused.
“Rachel...” Danieru said. He then took a breath, trying to calm down. “...Let's meet.”
Danieru received no answer, only a sigh from the other end.
“I just want to confirm something,” Danieru said again.
“When?”
Danieru felt a little relieved when he heard the question.
“Where?”
Danieru became nervous again, wondering where he could meet Rachel properly. The place had to be completely private, and he also had to be able to speak quietly.
“Danieru, are you still there?”
“Central Park, New York, NY, United States. At sunset, I want to talk to you about a few things.” Danieru, having finished his sentence, immediately hung up the phone.
"I'm going to go crazy if this keeps up," the man said, leaning back against the car seat. He hadn't expected him to have such courage, and he couldn't deny that this request was very risky. But... Danieru couldn't stay trapped by his own feelings. He immediately left the place; he had to hurry and wait for Rachel at the agreed-upon location.
...
Unlike Danieru, who wanted to meet Rachel, Camilla now began doing some housework. She wanted to apologize for slapping him on the cheek. It felt wrong for them to fight over such a trivial matter. After all, they were friends, and to achieve their goals, they had to get along.
Camilla stared intently at the cooking ingredients in front of her. She then glanced at a middle-aged woman who had worked for Danieru for a long time. She was responsible for tidying up everything in her husband's mansion, and she rarely saw her.
Indeed, every time she and Danieru woke up after a long night, the woman and her husband had completed their tasks perfectly. She even felt like it was all a miracle. Before she went to sleep, the room was sometimes a mess, and when she woke up, everything was done.
“So... what would Young Madam like to cook for her beloved husband?” the woman asked.
Camilla, hearing the woman's words, suppressed a smile. She didn't know what to say, but the greetings of 'Young Madam' and 'beloved husband' were enough to make Camilla blush.
“Madam, are you all right?” the middle-aged woman asked.
“What does Danieru usually like?” Camilla asked.
The woman thought for a moment.
“Have you forgotten?” Camilla asked again.
“Young Master isn't usually picky about food. How about we create some new recipes?” the woman asked.
For a moment, Camilla remembered what Danieru had said. Making food is like writing a novel; the most important thing is the feeling.
Camilla swallowed hard. "What if it tastes strange?"
The maid smiled at that question. "Madam, I didn't understand it before. But when we cook, we have to put our feelings into it. It's not just the spices that are important; the cooking process is also important."
"So?" Camilla looked a little hesitant.
"It's easiest if you cook with Young Master in mind. Your love and affection can complement the perfectly measured spices. Love and affection will make everything even better, and most importantly, Young Master can feel your heart, your feelings of love and affection."
The maid's words made Camilla think deeply. Could such a simple thing really convey everything? The woman tried to hold the knife, but only grew more nervous.
"What are you thinking about when you cook?" Camilla asked.
"I'm thinking about my children and my husband, Madam."
"Even if the food is for someone else?"
"Yes, because love is everything. Maybe in love there are painful paths, but sincerity can never replace anything."
Camilla felt almost crazy. Why did she have to listen to something like this now? The woman smiled slightly, amused. I don't know... but maybe what others consider the truth isn't the truth for her.
"Alright, let's begin." Camilla took a deep breath, trying to remember the good times she had with Danieru. Well... even though she felt no love for him, at least she liked him and considered him someone close to her.
The two women quickly began cleaning the ingredients. Camilla didn't know what to make, but remembering how Danieru once thought of her as a cat, she thought of preparing fish for him.
"How do I remove the scales from this fish?" Camilla asked.
The middle-aged woman approached Camilla and quickly demonstrated a simple way to clean fish.
"You have to be careful. I usually only use a small knife to remove fish scales like this. Look at this," the woman said.
Camilla watched intently, amazed as the woman's hands moved and the scales slowly fell away. She saw how easy it was, and at that moment, she felt confident.
"I'll continue."
The maid quickly stepped aside and handed Camilla a small knife, relieved to see that her mistress seemed to understand.
Camilla immediately tried, but found the fish's body a little slippery and difficult to hold. But Camilla didn't give up. She tried slowly and felt a little relieved. She slowly removed the fish's scales and finally succeeded.
“How was it?” the waiter asked.
“I was really nervous at first, but everything went smoothly. It’s just… the surface of the fish is quite slippery, and I had to use some force to hold it. As for the knife, it’s really sharp and I’d be scared if I got hurt.”
The waiter clapped his hands, finding Camilla’s answer extraordinary. He could well guess that this was the first time Camilla had done something like this.
“What next?” Camilla asked.
“Ah, yes… we have to clean the fish’s belly thoroughly.”
Camilla and the waiter continued their program. And Camilla was also learning very well. Well… even though she made a few mistakes, it was quite good. Camilla was doing this to reconcile with Danieru, and she also felt very guilty towards Danieru and wanted to make amends.
“Madam, you should sit down. You’ve already hurt your hand several times,” the waiter said.
“No, I want to continue well.” Camilla winked her right eye, chuckling as the waiter nodded.
"Okay, after I'm done, I'll treat some of your wounds."
"You win," Camilla replied. Despite being cut by a knife, splashed with hot oil, and touching hot cookware several times, Camilla remained enthusiastic.
Camilla then resumed her work; soon they would be walking together. She took a deep breath, grateful to have finished all the drafts and successfully worded the presentation as they competed for a partnership with Jay's company.
Yes... she would silence everyone who had hurt Danieru and his mother. She would guide Danieru to overcome the injustice he had endured all this time.
"Madam, do you really love Sir?"
Camilla stared. "Yes, I do."
"You and Sir are a perfect match; I'm so happy you can love Sir."
Camilla could only stare, now feeling nothing but affection for her friend. She then looked out the window, where she could see the vast lake beyond, and at that moment, she realized that after all this time, she had felt affection for someone other than her own father.
'Doggie… come back soon, we have a lot to talk about. I’ve been waiting for you, and I want you to know that everything is over. We just need to move forward together, and that’s when the person who hurt you will fall.'